"There were no serious adverse events associated with the procedure, and
nearly 60% of patients were better neurologically by the time they left the
hospital," he tells WebMD.

Also, one in four patients had no to minimal disability three months
later.

The findings were presented at the American Stroke Association's (ASA)
International Stroke Conference.

Penumbra Helps When tPA Fails

About 780,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year and more than 150,000 of
them die. Survivors often face serious disability.

For patients who suffer an ischemic stroke, tissue plasminogen activator, or
tPA, can mean the difference between permanent brain damage and a return to
normal activities. TPA breaks up the clot, restoring blood flow to the
brain.

But tPA has to be administered in the first three hours after symptoms
strike, and the vast majority of people fail to get to the hospital in time.
Plus, it only works in about 40% of patients who get it.

Penumbra could help both these groups of people, McDougall says.

A catheter is inserted through a small puncture in the groin. Under X-ray
guidance, it is advanced through the blood vessels until it reaches the closest
edge of the blockage. A wire is advanced to dislodge the clot, which is sucked
into the catheter.

McDougall says that originally, the system had a plan B -- a clot-grabbing
device that doctors could use if the vacuum failed. "But we never really
needed it," he says.

Not everyone benefited from the new device. By three months after the
procedure, about one in three of the patients had died, many due to bleeding in
the brain.